ORANGE : The Pride of Being an Indian

Pete Mares, a Juaneno Indian, began to explore his heritage when he retired from construction work 10 years ago.

“I used to sit and hear the music at powwows and I would hear the drum and my feet would start to move,” Mares recalled. “So when people ask why I wanted to find out more about my culture, I say ‘The drum called me.’ ”

Now, Mares, 64, shares what he has learned through performing Indian dances and giving talks to schoolchildren about Juaneno history, traditions--and the drum.

“It has a heartbeat,” he said. “It’s not a Hollywood drum--and I am not a Hollywood Indian.”

This week, Mares will visit West Orange Elementary School as one of several speakers featured during the Orange Unified School District’s celebration of Native American Week. Representatives from the Gabrileno, Juaneno, Choctaw, Navajo, and Iroquois tribes will visit selected schools. The celebration culminates Thursday at 7 p.m. at Yorba Middle School with Family Night, a communitywide event featuring Iroquois dance, drumming and storytelling.

While Orange Unified has more than 100 students with American Indian heritage, only about 35 are officially documented and eligible for federal money through Title V, the program that helps fund tutoring, cultural events and other services for the students, according to Carlos Velasquez, a member of the district’s American Indian Advisory Committee.

Velasquez said some American-Indian students deny their heritage because they don’t want to fall victim to the myths and stereotypes associated with it. Programs such as those held this week help combat those stereotypes and instill pride in American Indian students, he said.

Mares agreed, saying he often sees immediate results from his performances.

“It makes them a little bit prouder, and they come up and say, ‘I am Indian, too,’ ” he said. “I’ve seen some that are one-sixteenth Indian and they come up and say, ‘I’m Indian, too,’ and I say, ‘Well, come on. Let’s dance,’ and I take hold of their hand.”